But As The
Wind Now Freshened, He Gave Orders To Take In The Top-Sails At Night,
Having Now Sailed Eleven Days Before The Wind Due Westwards With All Their
Sails Up.
All the people in the squadron being utterly unacquainted with the seas
they now traversed, fearful of their danger at such unusual distance from
any relief, and seeing nothing around but sky and water, began to mutter
among themselves, and anxiously observed every appearance.
On the
nineteenth September, a kind of sea-gull called Alcatraz flew over the
admirals ship, and several others were seen in the afternoon of that day;
and as the admiral conceived that these birds would not fly far from land,
he entertained hopes of soon seeing what he was in quest of. He therefore
ordered a line of 200 fathoms to be tried, but without finding any bottom.
The current was now found to set to the south-west.
On Thursday the twentieth of September, two alcatrazes came near the ship
about two hours before noon, and soon afterwards a third. On this day
likewise they took a bird resembling a heron, of a black colour, with a
white tuft on its head, and having webbed feet like a duck. Abundance of
weeds were seen floating in the sea, and one small fish was taken. About
evening three land birds settled on the rigging of the ship and began to
sing. These flew away at day-break, which was considered a strong
indication of approaching the land, as these little birds could not have
come from any far distant country; whereas the other large fowls, being
used to water, might much better go far from land.
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